A few weeks ago, I ended up with two huge bags of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes of all sizes from a home garden. Needless to say, I was eating tons of tomatoes. Sprinkled with leftover Stilton. Some with a bit of balsamic. And some just popped in my mouth for a walking-through-the-kitchen snack. I also made gazpacho and pasta sauce and these tartlets!
This tart crust is all butter. It’s tender and flaky yet crisp and appropriately sturdy. It’s simple. It’s easy to make, easy to work with. It keeps well. It works with sweet and savory fillings. It’s pretty fantastic. You’d be a fool not to take it, run with it, fill it, bake it, eat it, etc. And did I mention these tomatoes are sitting atop a layer of bacon jam?
BLT Tartlets
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
These tartlets with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, bacon jam, and basil are a delicious play on the classic BLT sandwich.
Ingredients
- Pâte Brisée
- Bacon Jam
- approx. 40 cherry heirloom tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- fresh basil
Pâte Brisée
- 2 1/4 cups (285 g) bread flour
- 1 1/2 cups (170 g) cake flour
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 2 sticks (228 g) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 tbsp (40 ml) ice water
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Bacon Jam
- 12 oz (340 g) bacon, chopped into large chunks
- 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) brandy
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) raspberry blush vinegar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Make Pâte Brisée. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flours, salt, and butter on low speed until they begin to come together. In a small bowl, lightly stir the egg, water, and juice with a fork then pour into the flour-butter mixture. Continue to mix on low speed just until dough forms. Be careful not to over mix. Dump dough onto a counter, gather all the bits together (do not knead or overwork), wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before use.
- Dough may be stored wrapped tightly in the refrigerator for about two weeks and in the freezer for up to two months.
- Make Bacon Jam. In a medium sauté pan, cook bacon until browned on the edges. Pour off fat into a heatproof container to reserve for other use (do not wipe pan). Add onion and garlic to pan, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent.
- Add brandy, vinegar, and sugar, reduce heat to low, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly then transfer to food processor. Add maple syrup and process for a few quick pulses until bacon breaks up a bit, and the texture is uniform. You still want it to be a bit chunky, not smooth. Store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.
- Assemble tartlets. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out circles a bit larger than the tartlet pans (you won’t end up using all the dough). Shimmy dough into the pans, lightly pressing into the corners. Trim excess overhang dough. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Remove pans from the freezer and arrange on a baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, spread about 1 1/2 tbsp. of bacon jam onto each tartlet until evenly covering the bottom. If it’s too thick to spread, you can heat it up a bit to loosen it. The jam is pretty intensely bacony, so don’t overdo it. A little goes a long way.
- Arrange tomatoes over the jam cut side up, fitting as many as you can without overlapping them. Brush tomatoes lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 1 hour, until crust is golden and tomatoes are wrinkly and collapsed.
- Let tartlets cool until pans can be handled then remove tartlets from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack. Stack about six large basil leaves on top of one another, roll up long ways, and chop into 1/4-inch strips. Sprinkle confettied basil over the tartlets and and top each with one whole basil leaf (or more, if you’re so inclined).
Notes
- Prep time includes time to make and rest dough and make jam.
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tartlet
- Calories: 320
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Fried Green Tomatoes Caprese Salad
- Heirloom Caprese Salad with Basil Granita
- Spicy Tofu and Basil Keema Wraps
- Simple Roasted Tomato Pasta with Basil and Goat Cheese
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the pâte brisée need to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours?
Resting the dough lets the gluten relax and the butter firm back up, which gives the finished crust its tender, flaky, crisp texture. The recipe notes that the dough keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months — it’s worth making a full batch and saving the rest for future use.
What is muscovado sugar and can I swap in dark brown sugar for the bacon jam?
Muscovado is an unrefined dark cane sugar with a strong molasses flavour — the recipe lists dark brown sugar as an explicit substitute in parentheses (“or dark brown sugar”). It is combined with ½ cup brandy, ¼ cup raspberry blush vinegar, and 1 tbsp maple syrup to create the jam’s complex sweet-savory flavor.
How much bacon jam should I spread on each tartlet?
About 1½ tbsp per tartlet, spread to evenly cover the bottom. The recipe warns the jam is “pretty intensely bacony” so not to overdo it — a little goes a long way. If the jam has thickened in the fridge, warm it slightly before spreading to make it easier to work with.
The tartlets bake for a full hour — is that really right?
Yes — baking at 375°F for 1 hour is what transforms the heirloom tomatoes from raw to wrinkly and collapsed and turns the crust a deep golden brown. Removing them too early will result in undercooked crust and watery, structurally weak tomatoes.
